Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-11
DOWN TO DEATH.
The Montreal Night Express on the
Vermont Central Runs Off a Bridge
Over White River.
The Four Cars Filled with Passengers
are Landed Bottom Uppermost
= on the Ice Fifty Feet Below,
The Number of Those Killed Outright or
Burned to Death Placed at Forty
Macy Others Injured.
ANOTHER HOLOCAUST.


CONCORD, N. H., Feb. 5.-The express
train that LETT Boston last night met with
a terrible accident near Woodstock, on
the Central Vermont Road at about .: SC
g m. The train started from the city on
time, but was detained at White River
Junction, so 1t was about an hour and a
half late when it left there. 1t consisted
of the locomotive, baggage and postal
cars, two passenger coaches aud two
sleeping cars, ana was running ST the
usual rate of speed. When about 200
feet south Of a bridge near old Windsor
station q broken rail was struck
TIE locomotive, baggage car and
postal Car broke away ilom the rest of the
train, passing over the bridge in safety
The rest of the train was thrown from the
rails and continued on the ties until il
came to near the end of the bridge, but
there 1t ran over the abutment and all of
the cars fell into White river, some fifty
feet below. The gorge at this point is
frightfu. and when the cars went down
there was a terrible crash. As soon as
possible the detached part of the train
stopped and ran back to the scene of the
disaster. The screams of the injured
were heartrending. Assistance also came
from the people living in the vicinity and
everything was done to rescue and re-
lieve the injured. Soon after help ar
rived 1t was discovered that a ire had
started in the first passenger coach and
soon the entire train was ablaze, thus ad-
ding to the horror of the already frightful
catastrophe. Those present were power
less to stop the fire, and devoted them
selves entirely in attempting to rescue
hn in ha
scuers met another and unexpected OBJ
stscle in the heat, which had become so
intense that they were obliged to relin-
quish their efforts to save the sufferers,
and were compelled to retreat to place
of safety for themselves, and become I'M
willing and horror-stricken witnesses OF
the awful holocaust. In addition to this,
and to add to the terrors and sufferings
of me passengers, the weather was in
tensely cold, and the heroic rescuers
were hindered thereby in their work. No
water could be obtained with which to
check or extingulsh the flames. The ice
was seversl inches thick on the river, and
there were no appliances at hand to
raise it.
Ira A. Chase of Bristol was at White
River junction when the news Of the dis
aster was received. He went to the wreck
on special train. His story of the acct
dent is as follows: The train left White |
River Junction late, and the accident is
thought to have occurred at about 2:l5. |
broken rail was discovered some 200 !
1eet this side of the bridge, bat whether |
lhls caused the accident or whether |
wheel first broke is doubtful. The loco
motive, baggage and mail cars crossed the
bridge in safety. The two passenger
coaches and the Boston sleeping
car, Pilgrim, and the Springfield
sleeper, st. AlbaDs, went of the
bridge and were apparently turned
bottom up in the fall. Men living
near by stated that when they got to the
scene there was no fire except in the for
ward passenger car, but4he flames soon
spread SC the other csrs and then to the
bridge Ali were consumed. Twenty
six persons as far as known were taken
out alive from the cars which were .